


Blueberry Muffins

by tinybox



Series: unreality_strikes_back.exe [19]
Category: Doki Doki Literature Club! (Visual Novel)
Genre: Baking, Deja Vu, False Memories, Secret Crush, Virtual Reality
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-29
Updated: 2020-02-29
Packaged: 2021-02-27 19:29:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,819
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22941031
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tinybox/pseuds/tinybox
Summary: Natsuki and Kaito bake cupcakes for the festival.
Series: unreality_strikes_back.exe [19]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1619047
Kudos: 3





	Blueberry Muffins

***Load**

Waiting for Natsuki to arrive, I try to get some sketching done. Sayori's birthday is coming up, and I want to be finished with this manga in time for me to give it to her as a present. 

But I can't focus, not when I know that at any moment, Natsuki is going to show up at my house.

_ping!_

Natsuki just texted me, telling me that she's here.

Leaving my sketchbook behind on the counter, I walk over and open the door.

"...Hey Natsuki, uh...what's up?" I ask, internally cringing at how awkward I sound. Seeing her in regular clothes has kind of thrown me for a loop, and I kind of feel like someone encountering one of their teachers in the grocery store or something else outside of school. 

To be honest, her cute clothes seem to suit her much better than that school uniform does.

Natsuki rolls her eyes. "Jeez, you don't need to stare _that_ much," she complains, cheeks flushing a little. "Anyway, it's going to be a long afternoon, so don't make things awkward, okay? Anyway, I'm coming in."

I step aside, watching as Natsuki practically staggers into the house under the weight of a large bag swung over her shoulder.

"I see you brought a lot of stuff," I comment. "Want some help?"

As soon as I ask, Natsuki practically dumps the bag into my arms.

"Oof!"

"You brought everything I asked for, right?" Natsuki asks as I stagger into the kitchen.

"Yep," I wheeze, setting the bag on the counter as gently as I can. "Whew."

Natsuki smiles at me. "Glad I could count on you to do your part."

_I'm surprised to hear Natsuki suddenly say that, rather than something snarky like she usually does._

"I can't believe you carried the whole bag here, Natsuki!" I compliment. 

"Are you impressed?" Natsuki preens.

"Are you serious? That's some serious upper body strength! Of course I'm impressed!"

Natsuki smirks at me. "Ehehehe...you shouldn't underestimate me, you know," she jokes, poking me in the chest. "Just because I'm small, that doesn't mean I'm not tough!"

"Your size has nothing to do with it," I tell Natsuki. "Do you really hate being small that much?"

"Eh? I mean...sometimes I like proving people wrong when they only think I'm worth my size. It's fun when I get to be small and also better than other people. But..."

Trailing off, Natsuki crosses her arms and scoffs. "...Jeez, never mind!"

Then her eyes zero in on my open sketchbook. "Is that yours?" Natsuki asks, walking over to take a closer look. "Huh...I didn't know you could draw."

I fight the urge to run over and slam the book shut. "I mean, I like drawing, but I'm not very good at it," I mumble. 

Natsuki flips through my sketchbook with a small smile on her face. 

"Anyway," she eventually says, gently closing the book. "We might as well get started baking."

"Let me just put my sketchbook away in my room first, okay?"

"Okay. Just don't be a slowpoke!"

Before long, the whole kitchen is a mess. Spoons, dirty bowls, spilled flour, and plastic bags are strewn about every counter-top. Since the mixer isn't big enough to make all the batter, we've had to do it several times. 

Meanwhile, Natsuki is babysitting all of my movements to make sure I don't mess up her cupcakes. 

"Kaito, where did you put the food coloring?" Natsuki asks, searching through the clutter. "I'm going to need to put the batter in the oven, so I need to fill the trays."

"I think it's still in the bag by the table..." I think out loud, reaching for said bag. "Here it is! Wait...what are you using it for?"

"To color the batter, of course! I'm making each tray a different color. That way, even if the flavors aren't different, everyone can still pick their favorites."

"That sounds awesome!"

Natsuki giggles. "I know, right?"

"Are doing anything like that with the icing?"

"Do you want to?" Natsuki asks, raising an eyebrow.

"You can never have too much color," I state. "Also, I bought something called 'edible glitter' that might be cool to try out. I guess it makes things...sparkly?"

Natsuki's eyes light up. 

"We're going to use it," she firmly states. 

Natsuki splits the batter into several bowls, putting a drop of food coloring into each one. As she stirs the color into the batter, Natsuki says, "Baking's not just about following instructions. The presentation is where you get to be creative and have the most fun. It's a million times more worth it in the end if just looking at it makes everyone's eyes lighten up."

I recall Natsuki proudly presenting her cat-shaped cupcakes, and Sayori and Monika's delighted expressions. 

_I wonder if I can make Natsuki proud like that, too..._

"Are you finished mixing the icing?" Natsuki asks.

I look down at the large bowl full of still-lumpy icing. "...It's getting there."

Natsuki glances over at my work. "Eh? The icing's still all lumpy! Are you even trying?"

I wipe my forehead with my free hand while continuing to mix with the other. "I'm doing my best...I just don't want to spill anything."

"Jeez," Natsuki scoffs, "I'll be here all night if you do it like that. Here, look."

Natsuki grabs the whisk from my hand and tilts the bowl back, before starting to mix furiously. "You really need to...beat...the crap out of it!"

After a few seconds, the consistency of the icing has already improved. "See? Wasn't that-"

Natsuki cuts herself off, staring at me with a weird expression. 

"Ehehe...you got frosting in your eyebrows!" Natsuki snickers. "How did you even do that?"

"The world may never know." 

"...Anyway, see how the frosting is way better?" Natsuki asks, sticking a finger into the icing and popping it into her mouth. 

As I attempt to do the same, Natsuki quickly grabs my wrist.

"Hey! I don't want your gross fingers in my icing!"

I roll my eyes. "Natsuki, you've seen me wash my hands several times during this entire baking process." 

"That doesn't mean anything!" Natsuki insists. "Stay away from my icing!"

"Your icing? Are you forgetting who did all the work? Wait...that was you, too."

"See!"

"But I was the, um, foundation for getting the process started?"

Natsuki rolls her eyes. While she's distracted, I begin to fight back, trying to inch my finger closer to the bowl. 

"Don't make me beat the crap out of you next!" Natsuki warns. 

I push harder, just enough for my finger to reach the icing. "Just a little taste?" I beg. 

"No!" Natsuki shouts, watching in horror as I triumphantly scoop some up. I barely get a chance to savor my victory- just when my finger comes into contact with the icing, Natsuki tugs me back with all her might. 

"Ah-!" 

The force of Natsuki pulling me back causes me to stumble, making her stumble in turn. 

"Gross!" Natsuki wails. "You got it on my face!"

Sure enough, there's a big glob of icing stuck right on her left cheek.

"You got your face on my frosting!" I joke, but Natsuki doesn't look amused. 

Reaching out, I brush the icing off with my forefinger. "Alright, it's mostly gone now."

Impulsively, I stick said finger in my mouth. 

Natsuki's entire face turns red. "Y-You really shouldn't do that to girls...unless you really like them. You know that, right?"

_What kind of question is she asking me, just like that?_

_How did the mood turn to this so quickly?_

_What do I do next?_

_Why am I starting to feel dizzy?_

Out of nowhere, the fire alarm starts going off.

Natsuki rushes over to the oven. 

"Is something burning?! I thought you didn't put the cupcakes in yet!"

Using a pair of oven mitts, Natsuki pulls open the oven door. Coughing, she pulls out...an empty tray?

"You left a dirty tray in here, dummy!" Natsuki scolds, waving said tray at me. "How could you make a mistake like that?"

"Oh....I guess I forgot to put it away the last time I tried making brownies."

Rolling her eyes, Natsuki sets the blackened tray on top of the oven. 

The fire alarm stops.

"Anyway..." Natsuki awkwardly begins, "I'm...putting them in the oven now."

The tension from the moment before still lingers over out heads.

"Yeah..."

I watch as Natsuki slides the cupcake trays into the oven. 

Picking up the whisk, I continue mixing the frosting, trying not to do or say anything to make the situation even more awkward.

As soon as Natsuki opens the oven door, a blast of sweet-smelling warm air fills the room.

"Ahh," Natsuki sighs blissfully, "that smells so good!"

After putting each tray on the counter, she gestures to them proudly. "Look how cute they look!"

My mouth is already watering. "They'll look even better with frosting," I comment. 

"Not that you need to tell _me_ that!" Natsuki snorts. "Anyway, I brought decorating stuff, so I hope you can get creative. Here, start scooping the icing into these bags," she instructs. I have these nozzles that will make them look nice and fluffy. This one can even make flowers, but we probably won't be using this one."

"What's this for?" I ask, picking up a nozzle with a much thinner tip than the others.

"That one's really thin, so you can use it to make stripes or other patterns," Natsuki explains. "You can also use it to write stuff on a cake. Like, 'happy birthday!' or whatever."

"Huh...that actually gives me an idea. It's a literature event, right?"

Natsuki rolls her eyes. "Duh."

"Well, we could make it more literature-themed by writing a different word on each of the cupcakes. It would be fun to see people choose their cupcake based on a word they like."

Natsuki stares at me. "Uu..I kind of was expecting you to say something really stupid....but that's actually a really cute idea, so..."

Smiling, I respond with, "Well, maybe I'm getting it from you."

"W-What's that supposed to mean?" Natsuki stutters. "I'm not cute!"

"You sound like being cute's a bad thing, but it's really not! C'mon, embrace your inner cuteness. There's no one around to judge you. Besides, you can't dress and act like this and not expect me to call you cute."

"W-Well..." Natsuki trails off. 

She then mumbles something that I can't quite hear. 

"Eh? Did you say something?"

"N-No, nothing! Let's just do the icing!"

Picking up the pace, Natsuki grabs and fastens a nozzle to each of the bags. 

"There's a lot to do, so we shouldn't be wasting time! Here, I'll show you how to do it!"

Natsuki hurriedly tells me how to apply the icing, and we both get to work.

***Save**


End file.
